IFC Gender Program GEM Creating Opportunities for Women in Business 1st International Women Entrepre

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IFC Gender Program (GEM)Creating Opportunities
for Women in Business1st International Women
Entrepreneurship and Leadership Conference
SummitJune 4-5, 2009, Istanbul
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About IFC

• Private Sector Investment arm of the World Bank
  Group
• 178 Member countries
• Largest investor in the private sector in
  developing countries
• FY 08 16 Bn in committed loans
• 2 main lines of Business Investments and
  Advisory Services

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Why IFC cares about Gender issues

• New business opportunities
• Global leadership in sustainability
• Leverage development impact eg Equator
  Principles Banks
• Deliver on IFC Strategy

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Supporting Women is Good for Business and Fuels
Development
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IFC Empirical Data
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GEM Program Objectives

• GEM is a global program whose activities are
  meant to
• Promote Womens increased participation in the
  Private Sector specifically by increasing their
  access to finance and business management skills
  IFCs contribution to the WBG GAP
• Mainstream Gender in IFCs operations (ex DOTS)

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How GEM operates
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IFC GEM - Mainstreaming Gender into BEE work
Joint Venture between GEM and BEE Business Line
Results for Women
Results for Client Countries
Results for IFC

• Improved Investment Climate
• Better opportunities for women entrepreneurs
• Higher GDP Growth unleashing womens economic
  potential
• Higher Social and Developmental Impact health,
  education

• More robust private sector and client base
• Reduced legal and regulatory risks
• Increased IFC investment opportunities
• Higher Development Impact

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IFC GEM Access to Finance for Women SMEs
Results for Client Bank
Results for Women SMEs
Results for IFC

• Improved FI portfolio Stronger client banks
• Higher Development Impact

• Higher performance
• Reduced NPLs
• Improved Brand Equity / Image differentiation
  from competition
• Diversified Portfolio Access to women SME sector
• Improved Network Access to international banks
  network

• Higher performance Better financed and trained
  businesses
• Higher Economic Development Job creation
• Higher Social Development Increased household
  well-being

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IFC supports the Global Banking Alliance for Women
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www.gbaforwomen.org
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Westpac largest bank in Australia

• 10 Million customers
• 1,200 branches
• 1 on Dow Jones Sustainability Index
• Womens Market Program over 10 years old
• Womens Market Manager in all regions of
  Australia

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THANK YOU

• For more information on IFC GEM,
• Zouera Youssoufou
• Program Manager, GEM
• 1 202 458 -7594
• www.ifc.org/gender